


Finding Feathers

by KosmicKuroo



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Aobajousai, F/M, First Dates, First Love, Fluff, Fukuroudani, High School Crush, Karasuno, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Nekoma, Pining, Pining Nishinoya Yuu, Pining Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Reader-Insert, Rejection, Unrequited Love, Volleyball, You Should Have Come to Shiratorizawa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:22:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26088637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KosmicKuroo/pseuds/KosmicKuroo
Summary: "Finding a black feather: shielding, protection, boundaries and deflection of negative energies"-Joining Karasuno had been a no brainer considering you lived just down the road from the school. But what you didn't expect was to become such firm friends with two people who could not define 'chaotic good' more if they tried. And you certainly didn't expect to love one either.-Reader joins Karasuno at the same time as Tanaka and Noya and, taking pity on them, agrees to tutor them in English. Little did she know that this would be the start of the weirdest three years of her life. And maybe the most painful.
Relationships: Michimiya Yui/Sawamura Daichi, Nishinoya Yuu/Reader, Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Tanaka Ryuunosuke/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I suck at summaries! This is my first Haikyuu fic, and my first reader insert fic too. Constructive criticism welcome.

Looking back, you could see how you’d slipped into your place in Karasuno so easily. Observant when you needed to be and sharp as a tack any other time, it was inevitable that you’d find yourself entangled with _certain_ people upon your arrival at the school. In all honesty, you didn’t stand a chance. First was Ryūnosuke, or Ryū as you came to call him. Loud mouthed, skin headed and loyal to a fault, he approached you after English and dropped to his knees in a ridiculous flood of tears, begging you to tutor him because he ‘sucked at everything but especially English’. You agreed to it, making him promise not to embarrass himself or you like that ever again, rolling your eyes and flicking his forehead as if he were a fly to swat. Apparently that was something he could respect about you: your willingness to call him an idiot without a second thought reined him in enough to be at least passable in any of the classes you shared. In fact, if a class went by without you mocking him and his kind of disturbing lack of impulse control, it was considered a weird one at best.

Noya followed shortly after. You’d seen him in class before and, as far as you were concerned, he was a pocket-sized Ryū, and not one that you particularly wanted to be involved with: one was _more_ than enough for you to be dealing with. Noya, though, pleasantly surprised you. About 3 months into your first year at Karasuno he’d dropped a small box of onigiri onto your desk during lunch and smiled down at you with eyes full of warmth. You’d quirked a brow in confusion when he’d explained that he’d seen how Tanaka’s grades had improved, and that he knew it was down to you because he’d been bragging about his ‘awesome tutor’ during volleyball practice. He was soft then, as he asked for your help, embarrassed by the fact that he needed to ask in the first place, let alone in front of a room full of his friends, but you knew - deep down - that he was like a storm, quiet at first and then loud as he gets closer to someone. Regardless of this, you found yourself saying yes and then found yourself shocked as he bowed in thanks. Yes, you’d thought, definitely a storm.

You’d begun with one session a week for each of them, desperate to keep the two separate. You’d heard enough about what they were like from your classmates to know that if you combined their lessons, nothing would get done. Not that it stopped them from trying. Their attempts ranged from barging in during a quiet moment; to pathetic efforts which saw Ryū falling face-first into the classroom after trying to climb through the window behind you; to almost disgustingly sweet flirting and flattery which were about as transparent as the window your friend had fallen through. You didn’t cave though. Instead, you compromised: you would run through their study material with them before volleyball practice, but only one at a time while the other was getting ready in the club room. That way, at least, they were close but not too close for comfort. As soon as they were in that familiar environment, you could see why they were so passionate, so _loud_ about their love of the sport. The gym was a second home for them, and volleyball was their lives. One session a week turned into five a week as you became fixated on the way that being a storm fuelled Noya as he received every ball that Asahi spiked with mind-blowing speed; and how Ryū seemed to own the court as he blazed across it, pure determination in his eyes. You were part of the furniture as far as the team was concerned - you evolved from simply attending every practice to cheering at every game, screaming from the stands for the two boys who’d blown into your lives with devastating speed.

You’d been walking home when the second years were encouraging Daichi to take up the role of captain when he hit third year - something you wholeheartedly agreed with as you handed him water with a small smile. It was testament to their trust in you, perhaps, that your comments pushed him to put himself forward as future leader. But you’d also been there when they’d lost match after match. All the times that Ryū and Noya would refuse to look you in the eye as they bowed and thanked you for watching them play. When they’d come to your house for dinner the same night and choked back their tears as well as your food. You knew that Noya hid it well, his confident demeanour masking any pain that you were sure he’d express once alone, tears welling up but never spilling over. But Ryū? You saw it all. You saw his brazen walls collapse each time another team took a set from them. You saw the way his mask cracked with each devastating loss, with each murmur from past competitors about how the Karasuno crows had had their wings clipped. It was impossible to deny the way that your hands shook every time you heard them, but your tongue remained tied. It was strange, really, how a little volleyball club had become your world as well as theirs. That was, perhaps, a side effect of having two best friends who lived and breathed the sport. You felt their joy at the victories and their despair at the defeats. You felt the deep rooted pain every time an article came out describing Tooru Oikawa’s favourite food, or how astounding Ushijima of Shiratorizawa was for his age. 

It was, maybe, three quarters of the way through your first year at Karasuno that you’d realised. It was another drawn out tournament. They’d lost again. To which team? You couldn’t remember as you fought back your own tears to comfort your two closest friends as they left the court. Noya had already left, skipping the debriefing in favour of hiding somewhere he felt safe enough to let go, but Ryū took one look at you and just… _Let go_ . You’d barely taken a breath before he was clinging to you like a lost child, crying into your shoulder and muttering about his failures through gritted teeth. It wasn’t a surprise for you, someone who’d seen all sides of the fiery player, but to a lot of his teammates the outburst was a complete surprise. Ryūnosuke Tanaka was a hard ass, loudmouth little shit on the court - for him to be bawling like a toddler on the shoulder of a _girl_ (someone who, in any other situation, he would be embarrassed to cry in front of) was completely out of character. You, on the other hand, were hopelessly endeared. It made your heart throb in your chest as you smoothed your hand down his back, not minding that he was sweating on you as well as crying. And that was when you knew. This boy hadn’t just blown into your life like a hurricane like Noya had, he’d blown into your heart too. The dumbass skinhead who couldn’t tell a joke for shit, ate like a pig and took every match result to heart was the one you couldn’t seem to take your eye off. Which was probably why your heart throbbed painfully again as he stiffened in your arms before tearing himself away. Wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his team jacket, he steeled himself before turning as if he’d never collapsed into your arms in the first place. Instead he moved away from you, as if you had something contagious, and turned to face the one person he would _always_ hide his tears from. Kiyoko left the court after the rest of the team, deep in discussion with the club advisor about their next move as a team. Bag hanging from her shoulder and folder clutched in her hands, she was barely paying attention to her surroundings, too focused on thinking of ways to scrape the team’s morale off the bottom of the barrel. You could have flinched at the way Ryū’s eyes lit up at her appearance.

'Hey, Kiyoko! Do you need me to carry that for you?' 

Your breath caught in your throat and instead of watching to hurt yourself further, you turned to console Suga with a soft - albeit forced - smile and gentle pat on the shoulder. You’d known about most of the guys’ infatuation with Kiyoko for as long as you’d been tutoring in the gym. You couldn’t blame them, not when she was stunning, smart and sweet. She’d been nothing but welcoming to you when you’d first entered the gym, and it would be toxic of you to hold Ryū’s affections against her when it wasn’t her fault. Noya followed her like a puppy too, but you’d come to terms with that early on, knowing that his work was non-existent as soon as she entered the room. Kiyoko had laughed when you mentioned it to her over coffee once, promising to text you as she was approaching the gym so you could wrap up the sessions and avoid distraction. It would have been easier, you thought, if she’d been a bitch. Easier to hate her and resent her for catching the eye of the one person you liked. If she was rude, or bitter, you could justify disliking her, but fate just didn’t favour you, apparently.

'No, Tanaka, I can carry my own bag,' you could have snorted at the tone she took with him. You could imagine that being bombarded with Ryū’s attention dialled up to eleven was exhausting after nearly a year - not that you’d know. 'You could carry Y/N’s though, she brought all her school books with her.' Another pang to the heart. If you’d been in a show they’d have shown each dagger as it pierced through your chest.

'Y/N’s fine, she can carry her own things.' Another one.

'Hey Y/N!' Noya jogged back and bumped your shoulder, a welcome reprieve from the mental torture that was Ryū flirting with someone else. His hand slipped under the strap of your bag as he hefted it off your shoulder with a huff and slung it over his own. 'This is stupid heavy, why didn’t you ask one of us to carry it?' And just like that, your heart lifted again. Somehow Noya always knew how to cheer you up, and you laughed softly as he berated his teammates for being inconsiderate. You even let an undignified snort slip as the Tanaka personality drowned out the Ryū and he insisted that he was just checking on Kiyoko before he was _obviously_ going to offer to help. You honestly didn’t know what you’d do without your boys in your life. Couldn’t live with them, couldn’t live without them - both a blessing and a curse, you thought. It was that thought, and the smile on Noya’s face as you offered to buy dinner for the team, that kept your steps light and your head high as you all left the gym. You didn’t need anything more; not with friends like yours.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second year begins and with it comes a whole new set of both students and challenges. How will reader deal with these changes and how will her relationships with the team members change now that they're another year older?

You thought that your second year in High School would be much the same as the first and _boy_ were you wrong. Suddenly, Daichi was leaving the room with a smile that met his eyes, and Suga walked to each practice with a joyous skip in his step. Not that you’d know why, of course, what with Noya - your main source of club gossip - being suspended like a fool after being too ‘passionate’ for his own good. No club activities for a month, they’d said, and no school for a week. You’d never forget the look on Noya’s face as you flew at him after school in a blind rage, swatting him with your backpack and berating him in the courtyard.

‘You’re a dumb _bastard_ , Yū Nishinoya! What were you _thinking_ ?! Do you know what this means?’ He shook his head and you screeched. ‘It means you miss _everything_ , Noya! And who’s the only person who can properly catch you up on all our classes?’

‘You are.’

‘That’s right: I am! And guess what? I’m busy enough already without having to spend my evenings babying your stubborn ass! I help Kiyoko with her management, I tutor Ryū, I feed half of you vultures whenever you’re all too tired to haul yourselves home after practice and how do you repay me? By getting suspended and adding more to my load that I take on because I _love_ you boys. Why can’t you just… Get along with the teachers, Noya?’ 

He’d left after that, embarrassed by your scolding and stunned at the admission you’d made. He never invited you for tutoring during his time away and, in fact, you didn’t hear from him at all in the time he was gone. Ryū kept you updated on his well being, thank God, and you weren’t surprised at all to hear that he was spending most of his suspension practising volleyball rather than studying like you’d hoped. On the plus side, however, it meant that you had more time to boost Ryū’s grades with all the time you miraculously had free. At least, that’s what you’d thought. But, as if by magic, all the extra time _he_ had between school and practice vanished into thin air with the arrival of the first years. Meeting them for the first time, it became obvious to you why the team had extra pep in their step. If Noya was a storm, then Shoyo was a tornado and Tobio was a flood. They swept into the gym and washed away all the self-doubt that you’d seen in the past year, even with Asahi taking a break from the club you could see how strong the duo were - not to mention the fact that Tsukishima (you’d call him Tsukki whether he liked it or not) and Yamaguchi (who was yet to give in to you calling him Yams, but you knew it wouldn’t take too long for him to admit defeat) were also two potential powerhouses of the team. When you saw the way that the newcomers took over the court and uplifted the team you were reminded of something your mother always used to say:

‘Y/N, storms can be really scary, but not all storms come to disrupt your life; some come to clear your path.’ 

The first years were Karasuno’s storm, clearing the path for future wins, you were sure of it from the get go. You could understand why Ryū was spending less time studying with you when things with the team were finally progressing. It warmed you to the core every time he entered the gym to study with a grin on his face. Sure, it wasn’t the tutoring he was excited for but maybe - for a short while at least - you could imagine that you were the reason he was smiling every evening. In your mind, he had been counting down the minutes in his lessons, knowing that he was seeing you at the end of a long day before playing the game he loved so much. That thought was pretty much what fuelled your excitement for each afternoon. Rather than him counting the minutes down to see you, it was the other way round. The final few minutes of last period had you impatiently tapping your pencil against the desk without fail, irritating everyone around you who had no idea what - or who - you were so eager to leave class for. You’d never been so enthusiastic about work and study before, and everyone could tell. You went from just turning up each day and waiting for Ryū to join you, to texting him every day to arrange a time and lesson plan. With each text he was getting more and more agitated (looking back, that was easy to see) but what with your true joy at seeing him every day, coupled with a lack of Noya to take up your time, you were blind to his true feelings. As much as you were aware that you couldn’t play pretend and act as if he was interested in you, you were more than willing to pretend that he enjoyed the new, hyped up energy of your lessons.

‘Ryū,’ you waved as he bounded into the gym one afternoon. ‘I’ve got everything ready for you!’ They meant everything to you, those single hour sessions before each practice was underway. They were the precious moments that you got to see Ryū smile with nothing but you in front of him. In those moments, you felt so special.

‘Y/N, for god’s sake, I told you not to call me by my first name,’ or not. You flinched as he gripped your upper arm and steered you towards the door. ‘I saw Kiyoko leaving the club room and I don’t need you here…’

Wrenching your arm from his grip, you scowled up at your best friend, whose face was a mirror image of your own. ‘You don’t need me here doing what, _Ryū_? Embarrassing you? Letting your team and manager know that sometimes you actually care about studying?’

‘ _Fuck studying!’_ He spat, urging you towards the door. ‘Why don’t you just go and hassle Nishinoya if you’re so desperate for someone to bore with your flashcards because newsflash, Y/N: _you aren’t important to me right now!_ ’

You were already outside the gym by now, with your supposed best friend looking down at you, eyes blazing with contempt; a look you’d seen aimed at opponents on the court countless times, but never before at you. He expected you to wither, hike your bag up further onto your shoulders like _he’d_ seen _you_ do countless times before, whenever you’d been accosted by a guy who rubbed you the wrong way - but never before around him. Except you didn’t. Rather, you looked him dead in the eye with a steely gaze, dropping all the materials you’d brought for him onto the ground, dirt churning around it as you ground them further into the muck with your shoe. He’d have felt better, he thought, if you’d chewed him out. At least then he’d have known that he wasn’t the only one screaming. You surprised him again, however - everything was a surprise with you, he’d eventually come to learn - by laughing softly under your breath and turning your back to him, slowly leaving him behind.

‘Fuck studying, that was the best you could come up with? Fuck you, Ryūnosuke Tanaka, that was _weak._ ’

‘Y/N I-’

‘No. Enjoy practice, Ryū, it’s clearly important.’

***

Your blood boiled as you walked away from the gym, and you spent the entire time stewing over what had just happened between you and your best friend. It wasn’t the first time you’d seen Ryū take his frustration and embarrassment out on someone else, by any means, but you’d never been on the receiving end of it yourself. If anything, he’d made a conscious effort _not_ to blow up at you during moments of stress like this. You weren’t sensitive, everyone and their mother knew that, but your biggest fear was feeling like you weren’t good enough, a disappointment to those you cared about the most. One disapproving look, well-timed sigh or thoughtless comment would kick your brain into overdrive. Obviously Ryū fell into the category of ‘people you really cared about’ and - even as tactless as he could be sometimes - he knew that lashing out at you would only trigger that fear for you.

_You aren’t important to me right now._

The words kept rattling round your head as you picked up the pace, barely looking where you were going as you sped towards your house. As satisfying as it could have been to turn on your heel and give that idiot a piece of your mind, you definitely preferred the ‘run home and eat ice cream and cry where nobody can see you’ back up plan that was formulating in your mind. You were, in fact, so focused on which ice cream you were going to devour while huddled up in your blanket burrito that you barely took note of your surroundings until an orange-headed ball of sunshine barrelled into you.

‘Y/N!’ 

‘Sh-Shoyo? Why aren’t you in the club room?’

‘Oh I wanted to go for a run after class just to get myself pumped!’ It was cute, you thought, how dedicated and passionate he was. Kinda like…

‘That’s cool, Shoyo! You’re really getting into it now, aren’t you?’

‘How could I not, Y/N?! That feeling when I reach my highest point and I can see the court, and the feeling in my hand after I hit the ball like BOOM and it goes WHOOSH! There’s nothing better in the _entire world_!’

What was that feeling? In your chest as Shoyo flailed his arms in demonstration of the boom and the whoosh? It was as if your heart was a piñata and his… His pure-hearted optimism was beating it until it cracked. Here was a boy who, for all intents and purposes, was not _built_ to do what he loved. He was short for his age _and_ for his sport and absolutely shocking at some of the more basic volleyball skills that being on a High School team required. And yet when he stood before you, it was if he were 7 feet tall, towering over the disbelievers and letting his true _love_ of volleyball do all the talking. It got you thinking and falling silent for a moment too long for Shoyo to ignore it.

‘Y/N, are you okay?’

‘Oh sorry, Shoyo, I was just lost in thought for a moment.’

‘What were you thinking about?’

‘How I don’t think I’ve ever felt the way you do when you’re playing volleyball.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, of course you have! With Tanaka!’

‘I feel like what with who the what now?’

‘Well…’ He chuckled nervously. ‘What I mean is that, when we’re warming up and you’re studying with Tanaka, you’re always super happy! And your smile is really big like your whole face is going to split in two! And… And when you’re studying with Noya, you sometimes laugh so hard that Tsukishima thinks you’re either a witch or having a stroke.’

‘Tsukki thinks wha-’

‘That’s not important! What I mean is that… Just because you don’t feel the whoosh in your hand, doesn’t mean you don’t feel the whoosh at all! It’s just that you feel it in your insides instead. Like when Tanaka finally gets a silly phrase right and it makes your heart fly or when Noya tells you you’re a good teacher and it makes your brain tingle! Everyone’s whoosh is different, that’s why we all act differently!’

‘And you notice that with all your friends?’ 

‘Of course! Suga’s whoosh is when he makes loads of tactical plans before a game and they work; Yamaguchi’s is when he gets praised by Tsukishima for doing a good job.’

‘And Ryū?’

‘Oh! Tanaka’s is when he feels like he’s impressing the people he cares about! I think it worries him quite a lot sometimes.’

‘What makes you think that?’

Shoyo rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Well, lots of people think Tanaka is lazy but I think he works more than anyone else most days. He wants to be perfect on the court but he also tries super hard to make you proud of him when you’re tutoring and even though he fails, he wants to make Kiyoko notice him and be proud too! It must get tiring, always trying to be the best for other people, don’t you think?’

Damn that Shoyo. How could he have only been in the club for a short amount of time and yet… Read everyone like a book? Not that he read, he was another one that might need your help at some point, the way his grades were looking. A small smile slipped onto your face and you ruffled his tangerine hair with a fond chuckle.

‘You know what? You’re totally right Shoyo! Psht, and to think Tobio calls you a thoughtless idiot.’

‘WHAT?!’


	3. Chapter 3

After your chat with Shoyo, you felt considerably calmer about what had happened with Ryū. Was he forgiven for being a complete jackass? Not by a long shot, but you were trying to be more considerate of the pressure he was putting himself under to appear accomplished in front of his seniors. Sure, entertaining the fact that he was putting pressure on himself to impress Kiyoko romantically and you academically wasn’t exactly the most cheerful thing for you to have to deal with, but you appreciated that he was putting an effort in to make you feel proud regardless. But the boy was going to have to grovel and grovel  _ hard  _ if he wanted you to stick around him after that stunt in the gym. All previous thoughts of ice cream abandoned, you slipped off your shoes and dashed up to your room to get started on some home study material for Noya. You’d gotten into the habit of leaving it at his house in the hope that he’d use it. If what Ryū had told you was true, it was more likely that he was using it as a stepping stool or something of the sort, but you’d like to think that he was grateful for the work you were putting in, despite blowing up at him initially. Time flies when you’re having fun, but it flew even faster when you were in your element, making simple and clear flashcards and note pages that would be easy for Noya to take in and recall when he needed to, colour coding key information and making small quizzes for him to take when he felt like he was ready. Before you knew it the sky outside had darkened to a rich, deep blue and the red numbers on your alarm clock blinked 20:00. Practice would be long over by now, you thought. Usually at this point you’d have at least one of the team members at your house - usually Ryū and/or Noya - devouring the leftovers that your sister had left you like they’d never eaten before. Without them there, your evening felt a little flatter than normal: you missed it.

Rubbing at your weary eyes with clenched fists, you lifted your phone, squinting at the abrupt brightness that attacked your vision. A ream of notifications greeted you: a thumbs up and strong bicep emoji from Shoyo, a text from your sister saying she was working late and not to wait up and… One you didn’t expect. It simply read: ‘call me please?’

Y/N:  _ What do you want? Didn’t I tell you not to bother me when I’m studying? _

MORON:  _ And I thought I asked you to call me not text me, little one? _

You rolled your eyes and gave in, dialling the idiot who’d hassled you in the first place.

‘Well hello there, grumpy! How kind of you to finally call me!’

‘Shut up milk bread boy, what do you want from me this time? Money for ass implants or maybe some spare brain cells for you to use on something that isn’t volleyball?’

‘Oh you wound me, Princess! Can’t a handsome, kind man just want to talk to his old friend without a hidden agenda?’

You’d known Tooru Oikawa since middle school, where you’d been in the year below him. It was long before you’d developed an interest in volleyball - which was probably why Kageyama didn’t recognise you when he started at Karasuno - but that hadn’t mattered: you and Tooru bonded in another way instead. He’d seen you every day during your free moments, hunched over a notebook or stack of flashcards in the library. It was like a rainbow had exploded over the desk, he’d told you once, when he looked over at you to see a plethora of highlighters and fine liner pens. It astounded him, as someone who poured all his energy into being the best setter he could, that you could put so much effort into studying materials and that dedication was something he admired; it drew him over to your table with a teasing smile and a sweet greeting. You’d been under no impression that he was that sweet all the time. You may have been younger than him, but you weren’t naive to the manipulation that Tooru’s opponents faced on the court, and Iwaizumi had taken you aside when he’d noticed his friend’s interest in you to warn you about how ‘he was a shitty loser who would always put you second to volleyball.’ That was, perhaps, why you laughed down the phone at his obvious lie.

‘Cut the crap, Tooru. You’re cute but you’re not cute enough to get away with such an obvious lie. What do you want?’

‘So cynical, Princess… But you caught me. A little birdie told me that you’ve been spending a  _ lot  _ of time with the Karasuno volleyball team.’

‘And if I have?’

‘Then you’re the girl of my dreams right now. Tell me _ everything _ you can about them.’

‘This wouldn’t have anything to do with the practice match that Mr Takeda organised with Aoba Johsai would it, shittykawa?’

He huffed in a way that only Tooru could, ‘you’ve been spending too much time with Iwa, but yes. I want to show them that they need to work hard to get to where Seijoh is right now, and to do that I need to know what their strengths and weaknesses are… So… What are they?’

‘Tooru, that’s not-’

‘Not fair? I know, Y/N but  _ please _ … I need to know how to get better and who better to help me than the study fairy herself?’

You hated that the compliment drew a light flush to your cheeks. You’d never been attracted to Tooru, but he was a charmer and there was no denying that. You sighed, ‘what do you need to know?’

‘ _ Everything _ .’

***

Match day rolled around quickly for Karasuno, and you were dreading it. As much as you wanted to avoid the match (and Tooru and Ryū and general social interaction), Shoyo had caught you after class and begged you to cheer them on. Which is why you were hiding at the back of the bus with what could only be described as nauseated anxiety etched across your face. Aoba Johsai seemed massive compared to what you were used to. You had, at Oikawa’s request, looked into enrolling at the end of middle school. It had been really appealing to you at the time because he was, although you hated to admit it, one of your closest friends and supported you endlessly when it came to your passions and interests. But something about Seijoh felt empty and cold to you; there was no feeling of togetherness that you experienced at Karasuno and, after everything you’d been through up until the moment you stepped off that bus, you could confidently say you made the right choice. The buildings here seemed colder, less inviting than Karasuno and far more intimidating. The students towered over you, and you found yourself shrinking into Shoyo’s side with a sharp intake of breath. But before you could get carried away you were ushered into the gym, and settled next to Kiyoko on the bench. She, of course, attracted a lot of male attention from the opposing team, who praised Karasuno for having such a beautiful manager. They were right, you thought, she was stunning, but it felt like a kick in the teeth to know that you were her shadow in the room, not noticed by anyone on either team when she was in their sights.

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ a familiar voice chuckled. ‘I think the little one next to her is prettier.’ Your gaze snapped up to meet the mirth filled eyes of Iwaizumi, who poked his tongue out when you flipped him off. You didn’t have an older brother, but you imagined having one would make you feel the way you did when you spent time with Seijoh’s witty ace. He took you under his wing when Tooru had introduced you both over lunch, teaching you how to counter his friend’s idiocy and general narcissism to put him in his place; something you’d struggled with on the odd occasion. Together, the three of you made an exceptional team, and you were sure that if you’d chosen to attend Aoba Johsai you would have continued being an exceptional trio. You’d kept in contact with both of them, despite attending different schools, but it was rare that you saw Iwa and Tooru now that the volleyball season was hotting up again. A sly grin spread across your face as you mocked him behind his team’s back, pulling ugly faces and making his bold facade crack. You  _ loved  _ winding him up, took sheer joy in it. The only thing that would have made it better was having Tooru there to take the brunt of your humour, but Loserkawa was nowhere to be seen. Probably loitering outside, you thought with a wry chuckle, chatting up his fangirls. Except, he didn’t rejoin the team when they lined up at their end of the court, and he didn’t appear to take his place in formation. Instead, to your surprise, a second year setter took his place. Turning to Kiyoko, you peered over her shoulder at the extensive notes she’d made on the team prior to the match.

‘Did you manage to get a look at the full line up when you were looking into Seijoh?’

She shook her head, ‘I couldn’t find any good sources on their team, they seem to be keeping some things under wraps… Why, do you know something?’

You opened your mouth to tell her what you knew, but was interrupted by a shrill shriek of the whistle. Let the games begin.

***

Karasuno were sticking to their guns, holding their own against the powerhouse school who challenged them. Tobio was on the edge of psyching himself out, his old teammates unnerving him from the other side of the net. It was as if you’d been holding your breath for the entire game thus far, your chest tight as you watched the aggressive, fast paced game of tug of war that was happening right before your eyes. And yet Tooru was still nowhere to be seen. Yes, you were aware that wanting to see him was something that went against everything you stood for as a Karasuno student and supporter, but he was one of your best friends and you’d be damned if you didn’t make this trip only for him to not turn up. 

‘Goddamnit, Shittykawa, where are you?’ You mumbled or, at least you thought you did. Your voice carried over the court to Iwa, who turned to you with a teasing smile and a sly chuckle at your nickname of choice for the Seijoh setter. 

‘Missing someone, little one?’

‘Fu-’

‘Hey, eyebrows!’ A boisterous voice cut you off before you could cuss your friend out. ‘Leave her alone! You wanna wind someone up, come at me instead!’

Bless Shoyo, he was always so determined to stand up for his friends. If only he knew that the exchange between you and their ‘enemy’ was nothing more than well-meaning banter between two old friends. Still, it served to snap Iwa’s attention back to the opposing side of the court just in time to see Tobio and Shoyo  _ finally  _ execute the quick they’d been bragging about. The sheer force of the ball impacting the floor had you flinching.

‘O-Oh my… That would… That would rip my arms off if I tried to receive it.’ Even Iwa looked shocked to see the small boy flying through the air as if he had wings, and the look on his face when his coach confirmed that Shoyo, in all his glory, had had his eyes closed while airborne made you chuckle to yourself under your breath. Aoba Johsai may have been a powerhouse school, and Karasuno may have had their wings clipped once before, but they were  _ not  _ to be underestimated. They were slowly but surely regrowing, and it was only a matter of time before they flourished again. You knew next to nothing about volleyball in the long run, but even you could see that they were slowly improving with every practice session. Seeing Ryū throw himself around the court with a newfound sense of purpose had your heart twinging in your chest. He was yet to speak to you since blowing up at you about calling him his first name in front of Kiyoko and, to a certain degree, you’d come to accept it. Ryū was a stubborn bastard and you knew that he wouldn’t approach you unless you came to him first. Unfortunately for him, you were even more stubborn than he was. Why should you apologise for being a friend? Why was it you who had to grovel when you’d done nothing wrong? You could never abandon him completely, so instead you let him stew. You attended the match for Shoyo, not for him and you made that very clear when you announced your presence on the minibus. You spent so much time immersed in watching Ryū play, you barely noticed when Karasuno snatched the first set from Seijoh’s grasp. Before you knew it, the whistle was blowing and Daichi was leading the cheers, heavy footfall signifying that your boys were returning to the bench. 

‘Our receiving is marginal at best, we’re lucky that they don’t have a player like Kageyama.’ Their captain chuckled, taking a swig of water.

‘Don’t let your guard down,’ Tobio interjected, drawing conversation away from his skills. ‘It’s just a feeling, but I don’t think their setter is their official setter.’

You inhaled sharply, forgetting that you had a mouthful of water and choking abruptly. All eyes turned on you, and Tsukki slapped your back until you were able to breathe. ‘Th-Thanks Tsukki,’ you smiled with watery eyes. ‘I-It went down the wrong way.’

‘Mhmmm, sure.’ Before you could ask what was up with his tone, cheering erupted from the unusually quiet fangirls who’d congregated to watch the match. 

Goddamn Oikawa, he was such a showman. He flounced into the gym to talk to his coach before turning his calculating gaze to Karasuno. Shooting a wink your way, he let his eyes fall on Tobio, his lips curling into the most sinister smirk you’d ever seen. Karasuno may have taken the set, you thought, but with Oikawa back in the game? The stakes were about to be raised.


End file.
